Global Prison Ministry Delivers Gifts and the Gospel to 65,000 Inmates This Christmas
Millions of people in America will spend this Christmas behind bars, and while that reality is painful, one ministry is looking to spread hope and encouragement by sharing the Gospel during this season.
Good News Global, formerly Good News Jail & Prison Ministry, will hand-deliver 65,000 Hope Packs globally to men and women behind bars in 16 states and 18 countries this holiday.
The Hope Packs include a Christmas gift, card, 2024 calendar, food, hygiene items, and the Gospel message.
For some, it is their first time receiving a gift like this. For others, it is the first time they will hear about Jesus.
"Hope Packs represent our greatest direct gospel outreach to incarcerated persons ever. This Christmas, we will put the Gospel message in the hands of 65,000 receptive inmates," said Jon Evans, president of Good News Global.
As CBN News previously reported, Good News Global is a nonprofit network of 400 chaplains in 22 states and 25 countries.
Volunteers with the organization preach the gospel to over 400,000 incarcerated men, women, and young people, helping people of all faith backgrounds cope with life in jail.
"Your life is essentially over [in jail]," Chaplain Joe Kelty told CBN News last year. "If ever there was a time that you would turn to God, it's probably when you're going through something like that."
"One of the most moving parts of the job is when an inmate finds out that a loved one has died on the outside," Kelty added. "And here they are in jail, and they can't be with their family. That's some of the more difficult conversations but also the most meaningful."
In the U.S., chaplains serve as the religious program coordinator for each prison facility. In addition, they are responsible for pastoral care, facilitation and accommodation of religious requests, coordination of clergy visits, and a host of other personal ministry activities.
Internationally, chaplains extend ministry to ex-inmates and families of inmates, providing emergency aid such as soap, detergent, toilet paper, lotion, food, and more.
Good News Global started distributing 500 Hope Packs in 2021 after a formerly incarcerated chaplain remembered receiving a Hope Pack while incarcerated in Illinois.
And now it will be distributed worldwide to inmates during one of the loneliest times of the year.
"We believe that everyone has inherent worth in the eyes of God, and providing Hope Packs is a practical and tangible way to demonstrate that," said Evans.
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